One year after the overwhelming victory for the PAP last year, our lives are not so good. Jobs are disappearing, GST will be appearing, and next year everything in terms of paying goes up if it has not gone up already this year. The New Singapore Shares (NSS) and Economic Restructuring Shares (ERS)suddenly does not seem enough. The NSS was worth one PAP vote and this was the people's money channelled back to the people themselves. We saw it as a sign of a compassionate government. Consequently, the people prostrated obsequiously to the PAP at last year's polls and gave the PAP a resounding victory. Funny lot, we Singaporeans. But this year was not funny, was it?. Singaporeans must always remember and never forget. Think Singapore, think.
In today's Sunday Times, Janadas Devan talks of Singapore not having a bad government. What about an uncaring government, Janadas? Definitely with the way the government has responded to the price hikes, it clearly shows that the PAP government has taken for granted its victory. How can this PAP government ask us to take the long term view when it cannot get its economic figures for the short term correct? Part of fighting for our independence was that we wanted self-rule because the people wanted a government that would be compassionate and caring towards the people.
After one year, it seems that the PAP government is like the past colonial governments which prided themselves in apparently doing good for the masses but had little compassion for them.
The PAP has shown no compassion for the people even after the news that the economic outlook for the rest of the year would be nothing to cheer about. The hard headed bureacrats within the party feel that is no need for off budget measures to help the poor. The technocratic and well paid ministers see Singaporeans plights in statistical digits and favour responses that lack a human face.
They exhort us to sacrifice when they themselves seem so reluctant to give up their high salaries. People respected our first generation leaders because they led by example. Lim Kim San took no pay and believes that ministers should not be too highly paid. So where is the leadership during these tough times. Compassion is part of good leadership especially when a government subscribes to Asian Values. Some consistency please, PAP.
Life is not getting easier under the PAP. One year on, the quality of our lives on average is decreasing. Forget the thesis, that some of us are becoming the New Poor, we are in fact becoming poor. Make no mistakes about that. While the "foreign talents" are getting all the benefits except the benefit to vote, poor Singaporeans with nowadays the vote transforming from a right to a privilege are set for a lower quality life.
The PAP did better listen or maybe the next generation should give them a rude shock. We ought to. It is about time the people really showed some real action.
